BOOK REVIEW - Lumière (Illumination Paradox #1) [Net Galley]

Cliffhanger: Yes, in that good way where you’re prepared knowing there'll be another book.

Genre: steampunk, young adult

Dates Read: Aug 21-Sept 1, 2015

Official Blurb:One determined girl. One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy everything.

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt-her father’s arch nemesis-discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger-Urlick Babbit-who harbors secrets of his own.

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

Review: Eyelet is a solid heroine, in a lovely steampunk world with all sorts of secrets that you get to savor as you read.

I really enjoyed this steampunk world! There was a beautifully combination of that kind of technology with the culture, and it had a very London-ish atmosphere without overdoing it. It took me perhaps a chapter or two to like Eyelet, but in a good way. She’s such a strong and determined young girl that it makes me happier to get to know her more as the book progressed.

Urlick was wonderful. Not just as in him being a good guy (but he is), but a different kind of hero for the heroine to contrast with. He’s a smart young man, driven, and he protects those he cares for. But he’s also different. He’s not the normal handsome type of hero we usually see in YA novels. He’s not even ‘meh’. Eyelet instantly thinks he looks like a monster the first time she sees him. And though that kinda hurts him, he doesn’t let it bother him too much. He argues with Eyelet adorably, and when they start to work together, you can see it’s only because they’re fitting opposites that match each other perfectly.

I only have small complaints for this novel. One is that I expected only steampunk and got a touch of magic here and there. The magic just threw me off because until it popped in wherever it did, everything made it’s own scientific sense, even if you don’t know why yet. But it’s a tiny thing, as the rest is really spectacular in its reasoning and explanations. Otherwise, Eyelet and Urlick’s relationship starts tenuously, where I think they can feel attraction but they’re still trying to learn to trust each other, so that’s OK. But they do have that problem of misunderstanding each other when just a few conversations would fix it up. Thankfully they make plans around each other, and it’s not the situations where I hate them just holding grudges but talking sweetly, you know the type I mean?

If you’re looking for something a bit different (but good!) within young adult novels, I’d highly recommend you give Lumiere a try! Even if YA isn’t your main preference, I still think you might enjoy it!